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Dolet 5 for Sibelius Release Notes

Version 5.2

January 2010

Installation - Using Dolet for Sibelius - What's New - Translation Limits - Reporting Problems - Thank You!

Installation

Dolet 5 for Sibelius only works with Sibelius 5.1 and later. To export MusicXML files from Sibelius 2.1 and 3.1, you will need to use the Dolet 1 for Sibelius plug-in. Sibelius 4.x users may use either the Dolet 1 or Dolet 3 for Sibelius plug-ins.

If you are upgrading from an earlier version of Dolet for Sibelius, we recommend that you uninstall the earlier version first to avoid confusion between different versions of the Dolet plug-in. On Windows, uninstall using the Control Panel. On the Mac, uninstall by removing the MusicXML folder from your Sibelius plug-ins folder. For Sibelius 5, this is usually in the Library/Application Support/Sibelius Software/Sibelius 5/Plugins folder within your home directory, and in the parallel folder (Sibelius 6 vs. 5) for Sibelius 6.

To install on Windows, first quit Sibelius, then run the Dolet5Sibelius.msi installer program. The installation location is where this readme file and your software license are installed. The actual plug-ins are automatically installed in your folders for user copies of Sibelius 5 and/or Sibelius 6 plug-ins.

On the Mac, you will see one folder for installation on Mac OS 10.5 and 10.6, and another folder for installation on Mac OS 10.4. On Mac OS 10.5 or 10.6, quit out of Sibelius and then run the Dolet5Sibelius installation package. There will be a dialog displaying choices for installing plug-ins for Sibelius 5 and Sibelius 6. The choices will be initially selected based on the presence of Sibelius in the Applications folder. If you have installed Sibelius elsewhere, make sure to select your Sibelius version(s) by checking the appropriate boxes in this dialog. The plug-ins and documentation will be installed in your folders for user copies of Sibelius 5 and/or Sibelius 6 plug-ins. Do not change the installation locations, as Sibelius requires plug-in files to be in a specific folder.

On Mac OS 10.4, you will need to do a manual installation. Quit Sibelius and copy the MusicXML folder from this kit into your Sibelius Plug-Ins folder. The Sibelius site describes the plug-in folder location for different versions of Sibelius in step 3 of their plug-in installation instructions at:

http://www.sibelius.com/download/plugins/index.html?help=install

When you first run Dolet 5 for Sibelius, you will be asked to enter your registration information. This information will be sent to you via e-mail. If you have problems with registration, please contact us at support at recordare dot com.

Using Dolet for Sibelius

Dolet® software serves as a translator between music programs. These translations are done using the MusicXML™ file format. Dolet 5 for Sibelius writes MusicXML files, allowing you to exchange music between Sibelius and other programs that can read MusicXML files. Currently this includes Finale, capella, and Notion. You can see a full list at http://www.musicxml.org/xml/software.html. Dolet 5 for Sibelius saves files in the MusicXML 2.0 format, which allows more of the music formatting to be transferred between applications.

To save a Sibelius score as a MusicXML file, go to the Plug-ins menu and select the MusicXML submenu. Then select the "Export MusicXML" item. You will then see a standard save dialog box asking where to save the XML file. By default, this will be the same as your existing Sibelius file name, with ".xml" used instead of ".sib" for the file extension.

You may translate an entire folder of Sibelius files to MusicXML format. This batch routine will overwrite any XML files with the same name that are currently in that directory. Use the "Translate Folder of Scores to MusicXML" menu item to save MusicXML files from your Sibelius files.

For best results, do the following before exporting a score:

  • If you have a transposing score, be sure to display a transposed score so the transpositions can export correctly. Otherwise the score will be exported as a concert score without transpositions.
     
  • If you are using magnetic layout in Sibelius 6, freeze the magnetic layout positions before exporting your score. Otherwise the score will export with the positions that objects would have if magnetic layout were turned off. To freeze the positions, first select everything in the score using Ctrl-A on Windows or Command-A on Mac. Then go to the Layout menu and click on the Freeze Magnetic Layout Positions item.

What's New

Version 5.2 adds support for Sibelius's Focus on Staves feature.

Version 5.1 added support for Sibelius 6.1. Sibelius 6.1 adds ManuScript support for many new features, including document setup and selected engraving rules. The following new features are exported when using Dolet 5.1 for Sibelius with Sibelius 6.1:

  • Score groupings, including braces, brackets, and group barlines
  • Default page and system margins
  • Default music and text fonts
  • Default distances between staves and between systems
  • Small staves
  • Horizontal positions for the ends of lines
  • System text and lines are now exported on all staves set in the current house style
  • Line widths for staves, stems, barlines, beams, leger lines, slurs, and ties
  • Scaling factors for grace and cue notes
  • Key signature cancellation according to the current house style
  • The options for instruments to display a full name, short name, or no name
  • The option for an instrument not to display a key signature
  • Sub-bass clef
  • Improved chord symbol formatting

Version 5.1 also adds the following improvements for both Sibelius 5 and 6:

  • Accidentals in instrument names and abbreviations are exported more accurately.
  • Boxed system text is exported.

Sibelius 6.1 also runs plug-ins much faster than previous Sibelius versions. Dolet 5 for Sibelius users may find the plug-in running 2 to 3 times faster than in Sibelius 6.0 or Sibelius 5.2.5.

The Dolet 5 for Sibelius plug-in exports many new features for Sibelius 6 users, thanks to improvements in the Sibelius 6 plug-in interface:

  • Transpositions
  • Octave-transposing clefs anywhere in a score
  • Hidden staves on systems
  • System and page breaks are exported even without the layout being locked first
  • Fermatas over bar rests
  • Color of notes and other bar objects
  • Buzz roll "z" that appears on a stem
  • MusicXML encoding date

New features in Sibelius 6 are also exported, including:

  • Jazz articulations
  • Comments
  • Feathered beams
  • Note-attached arpeggios
  • Greater accuracy in exporting Sibelius 6 chord symbols
  • Export of chord symbols in German, Solfege, and Scandinavian styles

Export has improved for many other features in both Sibelius 5 and 6:

  • Subtitles and dedications are exported.
  • Standard Sibelius arrow and bracket lines are exported.
  • Octave-transposing clefs are exported at the start of a score.
  • Standard Sibelius pedal lines are exported with correct formatting.
  • Standard Sibelius accidental mark symbols are exported.
  • Standard Sibelius non-arpeggiate lines are exported.
  • Standard Sibelius notehead styles 24 through 29 are exported.
  • Hidden tuplets are exported with correct formatting.
  • Slides between notes in tuplets are exported.
  • Tab staves export a staff-size set to Sibelius's default size.
  • Vertical positions on tab staves are exported more accurately.
  • Symbols are exported by name if not recognized as a MusicXML element.
  • System symbols are exported more accurately.
  • Fermata symbols are exported more accurately.
  • Beat noteheads on half notes and longer export a diamond notehead instead of a slash.
  • Text wildcards are exported more accurately.
  • Instrument changes are exported using MusicXML instruments.
  • Instrument changes export any changes to staff lines and tablature tuning.
  • Instrument change text positions are exported.
  • Tab is exported correctly when on the second staff of a multi-staff instrument.
  • Harp pedals are exported when the plug-in can determine the text font.
  • System lines are exported above the staff.
  • Export of slurs, glissandos, and trills on grace notes vs. main notes is improved.
  • Ends of glissandos export more accurately.
  • Glissandos export with starting and ending vertical positions.
  • Boxed text is exported more accurately.
  • Slides are exported more accurately from multi-staff parts.
  • Tuplets export with better rounding for note durations.
  • Trills export more accurately in passages with hidden notes.
  • Key signatures export more accurately in instruments with ossia staves.
  • Tempo and metronome marks at the start of a score export with directive positioning.
  • More unexported items are now logged with MusicXML processing instructions.

File exports are about 20% faster in the Dolet 5 for Sibelius plug-in than in the Dolet 4 for Sibelius plug-in. The exact speed improvements are system- and file-specific.

Translation Limits

Any type of translation has limits. Things expressed in one language sometimes cannot be expressed the same way in another language. Sometimes the translator does not yet understand all the idioms and vocabulary in both languages. Dolet and MusicXML provide much greater music notation accuracy than MIDI translations, but both types of limits apply to this software.

In particular, Dolet 5 for Sibelius is limited to the musical information provided in ManuScript. It does not have access to accurate information about stem direction or stem length, so it leaves out stem information altogether. Dolet also does not have access to custom articulations, user-defined lines and symbols, the default appearance of accidentals, and most house style formatting information. Guitar bends are exported as slurs.

When Dolet 5 for Sibelius cannot export some notation accurately, it logs the problem in the MusicXML file using an XML processing instruction. These processing instructions start with "<?DoletSibelius". You can search for these processing instructions in the MusicXML file after export to find known translation limits that were encountered while exporting your Sibelius score.

Reporting Problems

Given all the possibilities available in music notation, you may find problems in how we handle your Sibelius score. Please contact as at support at recordare dot com if you encounter problems with our software.

If you do find a problem, please give us a description of what Dolet is doing, compared to what you expect it to do. Attaching the Sibelius file that shows the problem will help us to find and fix the problem more quickly.

Thank You!

Thank you very much for your interest in Recordare® and MusicXML™ software. We greatly appreciate your support of an open, Internet-friendly format for representing musical scores.

Dolet 5 for Sibelius License - Purchase Dolet 5 for Sibelius

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Last updated February 5, 2010.